District-telegraph box



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C. SELDEN. DISTRICT TELEGRAPH BOX.

No. 473,024. Patented Apr. 19,1892;

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O. SELDEN.

DISTRICT TELEGRAPH BOX. No. 473,024. Patented Apr. 19,1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES SELDEN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DIST RICT-TELEG RAPH BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,024, dated April19, 1892.

Application filed June 15, 1885. Serial No. 168,688. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES SELDEN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in District-Telegraph Boxes, of .which thefollowing is a specification.

Myinvention relates to those telegraph systems in which the signal issent over one or the other side of a loop-circuit from a signalbox bymaking and breaking 'the circuit or grounding one or the other side ofthe line,

side. If the line be broken at anypoint without grounding,boxes betweensaid break and.

the centraloffice send their signals by connecting that side of the lineleading into the box from the central office to ground, the side thusgrounded to send a signal therefore depending upon the location of thebox with reference to the break.

The object of my present invention is to furnish for systems such asthat described in my prior application and for any other system in whichthe signals may be sent, according to the condition of the circuit, ineither of the three ways, to wit: through breaking and making thecircuit through the box from one side of the line to the other, bymaking and breaking the connection between the line on one side of thebox and ground, or by making and breaking the connection between theline on the other side of the box and ground, a means whereby the personoperating the signal apparatus may know whether the circuit is in propercondition to send the slgnal and that said signal has been thereforeproperly transmitted.

My invention consists in the combination, with a district box or signalapparatus of the general character specified, of a visual, audieach sideof the box in. the line-circuit, or one in the line-circuit and theother in the circuit or connection to ground.

I have in the present specification described my invention as carriedout in connection with a visual signal, but may use any other kind ofsignal or indicator.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation ofa signal-box mechanism with my visual indicator or signal attached. Fig.2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side View of the circuitclosing orbreaking wheels and springs. Fig. 4 is a plan view of thecircuit closing and breaking surfaces developed or spread out in theplane of the drawings. Fig. 5.is a diagram of circuits, illustrating thewayin which the signal or indicator magnet is connected. Fig.

. 6 shows a modified way of connecting the two coils or wires of thesignal or indicator magnet.

A indicates the base-board of the apparatus, and B the main spring-wheelof a clockwork mechanism, such as is ordinarily employed fordistrict-telegraph boxes.

- B indicates the operating-handle which is used to windthe spring whenan alarm is to be transmitted by the signaling wheel or wheels, one ofwhich is indicated at W and which wheel or wheels are turned by gear ofany desired kind, operated bythe spring when the latter is wound up.

0 indicates the stop arm, which is connected to the shaft carrying thehandle B and against which a pin a impinges to bring the mechanism [t0rest at the proper normal or starting point upon the completion of asignal. A toe or projection d on the stoparm rests against an insulatedspring D when the apparatus is at rest, and thus serves to complete ashunt around the box formed by the connection of the spring to the lineon one side of the box, as indicated in Fig. 5, the shunt connection tothe line on the other side being formed through the signal mechanism inany desired way-as, for instance, by the stop-pin a, against which thestop-arm rests, the wheel WW, which is a line-wheel, and the springbearing on said wheel and itself connected to the line on the other sideof the box, as shown in Fig. 5.

E indicates the electro-magnet for the signal or indicator. This magnetis provided with two coils arranged, preferably, so as to assist oneanother in energizing the core, and connected, as will be presentlydescribed. F indicates an armature for said magnet, pivoted from amagnetic extension of the core for the said magnet, with its free endarranged so that it may swing into line with the pole of the magnet whenthe latteris energized, and thus give an indication. WVhen the magnet isnot energized, the armature or indicator is held by gravity or otherretractile force in a position where it is out of view. It

is preferable to coat the front surface of the armature or target With-aluminous paint, so that it may be visible in the dark.

Referring to Fig. 5, N N N indicate the signaling disks or surfaces,upon which the; The springs i Z Z are the line-springs and areconnected, respectively, to the line at the opposite sides The spring Gis connected to I will again fall back when the circuit through Thesurfaces of the disks are cut or formed into suitable conducting andnon-con- '2 sprin gs Z Z G, respectively, bear.

of the box. ground.

ducting spaces arranged after the manner described in my prior patentNo. 321,058 of June 30, 1885, or in any other suitable way, so thatjnormally the line-circuit will beformed through the box, and when thebox is operated the circuits will be made and brokeni suitablyforsending the signal in either of three ways, according to theconditions of the i linethat is to say, either by makes and:

'breaks of line-circuit through the box or by? connecting one or theother side of the line} to ground. The manner in which the signal- 1 ingdisks or surfaces may be cut for this PUP-i pose is indicated in Fig. 4,the dark or shaded spaces indicating the raised or circuit-closin gportions of thedisks- For a detailed description of the way in which thesignal is sent under various conditions of the circuit reference may behad to my prior patent.

The two sides or portions of the complete or metallic loop-circuit areindicated by the letters L L while B indicates the relay at thereceiving or central station. This relay may be constructed in anydesired way to permit the signals sent under varying conditions to beproperly received, but is prefer.

ably constructed with its two coils connected or arranged to neutralizeone anothers effects when the current from both batteries M B M Bcirculates through them and over the complete metallic circuit, thuspermitting signals to be sent by Morse keys or other devices and to bereceived on instruments: such as indicated at K1n the complete me- Fig.6.

side L of the line and the other in the circuit to ground from spring G.When the apparatus is at rest, the magnet and the box are shuntedthrough the spring D and stop-arm O and the indicator or target F isheld by gravity out of view. When the box is operated, the shunt isbroken, and at every electric impulse indicating one of the dots ordashes of the signal sent the target will be moved into View, showing aproper condition of the circuit for sending the signal. If the completemetalliccircuit L L be intact, the target will be moved into sight whenthe whole line-circuit is completed by the current in the line-coil andwill be drawn back when the line-circuit is interrupted throughdisconnection of spring Z. from its wheel or simultaneous disconnectionof both springs Z, P, will be moved into sight again whensprings G and Zmake contact with their disksby the current flowing in both line andground coils,

Z Z is interrupted, and so on with each energization of the magnet bycurrent in one or both coils. If the line be grounded to side L of box,side L between box and station being intact, the closings and breakingsof said grounded side through springs Z Z will oper-' 5 or the other ofthe coils, so as to indicate that the circuit is in condition for thetransmis- If the line be cut at both sion of the signal. sides of thebox, it is obvious that no signal can be sent in, and the operator willbe apprised of the fact through the failure of the indicator to act.

I have described the two coils on the indicator-'inagnet as placed onein the line to one side of the box and one in a ground connection; butit is obvious that instead of the coil in the'ground connection a coilin the line to the opposite side of the box from that in which the firstcoil is placed may be used. I have illustrated such an arrangement inThe circuit of the two sides L L of the loop-circuit is carried aroundthe core of the indicator-magnet, as shown before, passing to the signalmechanism, and in such way that the current over the line passingthrough the'coils will in both coils tend to produce the same effect onthe core. By this arrange ment the indicator will, as before, beoperated whether the signal goes in over one side or the other of theloop-circuit or whether it be transmitted by simple groundings at thebox IIO.

when the line is open-'circuited. In the latter instance the coil in theside of the loopcircuit grounded by the box operates the indicator.XVhen the line is accidentally grounded, the indicator is affected bythe current in both coils. By the employment of the two coils in themanner described it is obvious that notice is given of the condition ofthe line under all actions of the signal-box in sending a signal. Thecoil in the ground-circuit of the box operates on the indicator bycurrents coming to ground from the central office over either side ofthe loop and for this reason might be employed in systems in which noprovision is made for signaling by closing and breaking the circuitthrough the box.

As before stated, my invention is intended especially for application tothose boxes in which provision is made for sending the signal byinterruptions of the circuit through the box and by grounding both sidesof the line at the-box.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a district-telegraph system, thecom bination, with signal-boxes having circuit closing and breakingcontact-sprin gs and con nections in the line and ground circuits, as

described, of an indicator having two magnetcoils connected,respectively, to the ground and line circuits from the box, as and forthe purpose described.

2. Thecombination, in a district-telegraph system, of a completemetallic circuit grounded at the central office, signal-boxes havingcircuit-breaking springs for interrupting the line-circuit through thebox and circuit makground connection, asand for the purpose described.

Signed at New York,in the county of New York and State of New York, this11th day of June, A. D. 1885;

CHARLES SELDEN.

Witnesses:

THos. TOOMEY, GEO. O. COFFIN.

